Bidayuh

Bidayuh people
Land Dayak / Klemantan
A native Land Dayak chief in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Total population
205,900 (2014)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Borneo:
 Malaysia (Sarawak)201,376 (2020)[2]
 Indonesia (West Kalimantan)n/a
Languages
Bidayuh languages: Bukar Sadong, Jagoi, Biatah (Siburan and Padawan), Malaysian (Sarawak Malay dialect) or Indonesian, English, Iban (secondary language)
Religion
Christianity (predominantly) (60% Catholic & 40% Protestant), Islam, Animism
Related ethnic groups
Bekati', Binyadu, Jongkang, Ribun, Selako, Lara', Sanggau, Sara', Tringgus, Semandang, Ahé

Bidayuh is the collective name for several indigenous groups found in southern Sarawak, Malaysia and northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo, which are broadly similar in language and culture (see also issues below). The name Bidayuh means 'inhabitants of land'. Originally from the western part of Borneo, the collective name Land Dayak was first used during the period of Rajah James Brooke, the White Rajah of Sarawak. At times, they were also lesser referred to as Klemantan people.[3] They constitute one of the main indigenous groups in Sarawak and West Kalimantan and live in towns and villages around Kuching and Serian in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, while in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan they are mainly concentrated in the northern Sanggau Regency. In Sarawak, most of Bidayuh population can be found within 40 km of the geographical area known as Greater Kuching, within the Kuching and Serian Division. They are the second-largest Dayak ethnic group in Sarawak after the Iban and one of the major Dayak tribes in West Kalimantan.

  1. ^ "State Statistics: Malays Edge Past Chinese in Sarawak". Borneo Post Online. 8 February 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  2. ^ https://govdocs.sinarproject.org/documents/department-of-statistics/population-and-housing-census-of-malaysia-2020/penemuan-utama-banci-penduduk-dan-perumahan-malaysia-2020.pdf/view
  3. ^ M. J. Melalatoa (1995). Ensiklopedi Suku Bangsa di Indonesia, Volume 1 (in Malay). Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan RI. OCLC 37396203.